The Middle Belt Forum has urged the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), not to apologise to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent comments on the former governor’s administration.
Instead, the forum called for an independent investigation into alleged killings and payments to bandits during El-Rufai’s tenure, demanding that, if found culpable, the former governor be prosecuted for alleged crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.
The National Spokesman of the MBF, Luka Binniyat, made the demands on Tuesday at a press conference in Kaduna, where the forum expressed solidarity with Musa.
PUNCH Online reports that the controversy followed comments made by the defence minister during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 2026.
Musa had said, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”
He also alleged that the former governor had admitted to paying bandits, adding that videos and public statements existed to support the claim.
However, El-Rufai, through his lawyers, rejected the allegations and demanded a public apology and N10bn compensation from the minister.
Reacting, Binniyat said the defence minister had no reason to apologise, arguing that his comments reflected the experiences of communities affected by violence during El-Rufai’s administration.
He said, “The Middle Belt Forum is not a mouthpiece for Gen. Musa. We are speaking as witnesses to what happened in Kaduna State during that period, since Southern Kaduna is part of the Middle Belt.”
The forum rejected claims that the violence in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration was merely inherited from previous governments.
Binniyat acknowledged that Kaduna had experienced communal and religious crises before 2015 but alleged that attacks on rural communities became more widespread during El-Rufai’s tenure, resulting in killings, the destruction of villages and mass displacement.
He also accused the former administration of arresting community leaders and traditional rulers from affected areas instead of apprehending alleged perpetrators of attacks.
The MBF spokesman cited the 2016 arrest of the District Head of Goska, Moses Barde, following an attack on the community in Jema’a Local Government Area.
He also recalled the arrest and subsequent dethronement of the B’Gwam Kurama, Dr Ishaku Sabo Damina, as well as the arrest of 15 Atyap leaders in 2021 over allegations that they killed 706 cows. Binniyat further revisited the 2019 Kajuru crisis, accusing El-Rufai of making inflammatory statements over the number of people killed.
He recalled that the former governor initially announced that 66 Fulani people had been killed in Kajuru before the figure was later raised to 130 and then 133. The MBF spokesman said several Adara leaders were subsequently arrested, including the then President of the Adara Development Association, Awemi Dio Maisamari.
He said Maisamari and eight other Adara leaders later secured N900m in damages after the Federal High Court in Kaduna ruled that their detention was unlawful. The forum specifically demanded that El-Rufai be investigated over alleged crimes against humanity and, where evidence establishes criminal responsibility, be referred to the ICC.
Binniyat said, “It is the opinion of the MBF that El-Rufai should be charged with crimes against humanity and be handed over to the International Criminal Court for proper prosecution.”
The forum said such an investigation was necessary, particularly in view of the denial by retired Gen. Martin Agwai concerning claims that his committee had recommended that El-Rufai pay the killers of Southern Kaduna people.
Binniyat also called for a review of unresolved cases of mass killings in Southern Kaduna, including the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and murder of the Agwom Adara, Dr Raphael Maiwada Galadima, in October 2018.
The forum further accused the former administration of mishandling the 2015 Shiite crisis, imposing prolonged curfews in parts of Southern Kaduna and failing to adequately protect communities from attacks.
It also criticised the mass dismissal of workers and the demolition of homes and businesses under El-Rufai.
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